Marketing

September 7, 2023

Planning a Medicare Educational Seminar event for the 2024 Annual Enrollment Period? Look no further! Let’s dive into the exciting world of seminars and what you can expect.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk motivation. You see, our goal here is to inform Medicare beneficiaries all about Medicare Advantage, Part D, and other amazing programs. So, while we can’t market specific plans during these educational events, we can still provide valuable insights that will leave them feeling empowered and enlightened!

Now, let’s establish some ground rules. CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) has set some guidelines for hosting Medicare education events. First things first, choose a public venue for your gathering. No cozy in-home sessions here!

Are you going to hold this at a library or are you thinking about a restaurant? Will these events be held during lunch time or evening? Are you going to hold multiple sessions in one day or have one educational event twice a week? We want to make sure everyone has access to the knowledge and expertise you’re about to dish out.

Not Everyone Wants To Drive To A Seminar

But hang on, what about virtual events? Technology is a beautiful thing, and depending on your carrier and state, you might be able to host an incredibly engaging virtual educational experience. Think video calls, live streams, and interactive chats! Just make sure you choose the right online platform, like Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. In addition, we highly recommend that you record these events just in case you have to prove it was solely educational.

So, get ready to make your event shine, empower your audience, and leave them eager to explore the world of Medicare with you by their side. Let’s make this Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) one for the books!

Are you ready to promote some fantastic Medicare educational events? Don’t try and reinvent the wheel. There are multiple companies out there that will do all your marketing to help you fill up your event. Yes, you can actually pay to have professional pieces created, mailed out, and even have a dedicated RSVP line for people to call into. Let someone else do the heavy lifting for you.

Now, before we dive into the fun stuff, there are a few guidelines we need to follow. First and foremost, make sure all these amazing events are marketed as the exceptional educational experiences they are! Let beneficiaries know they’re in for a treat.

And we can’t forget about our friends with special needs. It’s important to include a disclaimer on all educational event advertisements and invitations. Just add a little note saying, “For accommodations, call .” It’s that simple!

Enrollee Events vs Medicare Educational Events

Now, let’s talk about those enrollee-only events. These gatherings can count as “marketing” since they’re specifically for the current enrollees of a particular carrier. They’re like VIP parties designed to keep everyone happy and satisfied. Remember, anything related to retention marketing or the mention of benefits falls into the “marketing” category. To ensure compliance, make sure to follow the carriers’ guidelines.

Sounds like a plan, right? But wait, there’s more! If you want to dive deeper into the juicy/legalese details, you can find the full Medicare Communications and Marketing Guidelines on CMS.gov. And for the nitty-gritty specifics on Medicare Advantage and Part D Communication Requirements, head on over to the Federal Register site.

Now go out there and spread the word about these incredible Medicare educational events. Let’s make a real difference in people’s lives!

Tips for Giving an Engaging Presentation

When you’re presenting, keep in mind that your main goal is to educate your audience (hence the name Medicare Educational Seminar), not to impose or sway them towards any particular plan or set of plans.

To make your presentation more lively and captivating, here are some guidelines to follow:

Start with a powerful hook: Capture your audience’s attention right from the beginning by sharing an interesting fact, telling a relatable story, or posing a thought-provoking question.

Organize your content effectively: Divide your presentation into clear sections or key points. This will make it easier for your audience to follow along and retain the information.

Use visuals and multimedia: Incorporate relevant images, videos, or slides to make your presentation visually appealing and dynamic. This will help reinforce your message and keep your audience engaged.

Interact with your audience: Encourage interaction by asking questions, conducting polls, or facilitating discussions. This creates a more interactive and participative atmosphere, making your presentation memorable and enjoyable.

Share practical examples or personal anecdotes: Relate your content to real-life situations or share personal stories that are relevant to your topic. This adds a personal touch and helps your audience connect with the information on a deeper level.

Remember, by implementing these tips, you can transform your presentation from informative to entertaining while keeping your audience engaged and interested throughout.

Can & Can’t Do Activities At Your Medicare Educational Seminar Event

Educational Event ‘Can and Can’t’ Activities

Can	Can’t
Hand out objective and generic educational materials on MA, Part D, and other Medicare programs	Have a sign-in sheet or collect contact info (e.g., names, addresses, phone numbers) of attendees
Answer questions posed by attendees	Hand out applications or marketing materials which contain specific plan info (e.g., premiums, copayments, etc.). Remember that this is a generic educational event and not a marketing/sales event.
Provide generic business reply cards to attendees	Answer questions beyond what attendees ask. Keep your answer focused directly on their question.
Give out your business card and contact info for beneficiaries to use to initiate contact	Give away cash or other monetary rebates
Collect Permission To Contact Forms	Provide or collect SOAs and/or enrollment forms
	Discuss any carrier-specific plan or benefits or distribute marketing plan materials. This immediately changes the event from educational to marketing/sales
	Give an educational presentation in a one-on-one situation
	Schedule future appointments at event
	Hold a marketing/sales event within 12 hours of the educational event in the same building or any adjacent buildings.

Hey there, just a quick heads up! During any Medicare educational seminar event, agents are not allowed to conduct sales or marketing presentations. Additionally, they cannot distribute or accept applications. So, keep that in mind and let’s make sure everyone stays focused on learning!

Just How Important Is Compliance When It Comes To Medicare Educational Seminars?

Hey there! Just wanted to remind you that compliance is a big deal for CMS and carriers, and guess what? We feel the same way! Not sure about some of the changes in compliance for this upcoming AEP…then read our post here.

It’s important to keep in mind that carriers might even send secret shoppers to your educational events. And trust me, you don’t want to mess with CMS guidelines, because if you do, you could be looking at some serious consequences:

Administrative hearings: Yup, you might end up having to attend one of those.

Administrative penalties: Ouch! Could have a big impact on your pocket.

Cease and desist orders: They’ll tell you to stop doing what you’re doing, plain and simple.

License suspension or revocation: Uh-oh! Your license could get taken away.

So, make sure you stay on the right side of compliance when conducting a Medicare educational seminar, because nobody wants to deal with all of that. Better safe than sorry, right?

August 23, 2023

Hey there, fellow agents! We all know that life in the insurance world can be a whirlwind, especially during certification season and Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) preparations. This year, the uncertainty is at an all-time high, isn’t it? We’re all wondering how we’re going to market and sell, and what the future holds for our beloved customers.

But fear not, my friends! Here at Senior Benefit Services, Inc. we’ve got your back! So buckle up, because together we’re going to crush AEP this year.

When Does Everything Begin?

October 1st through the 14th is what we call the pre-enrollment period or the marketing period. This is when we can start marketing and we are allowed talk to our customers about potential changes in their plans for next year. You are also able to market to new customers. You cannot complete an enrollment and take the application with you to submit after AEP begins.

October 10^th through December 7^th is the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). This is when we can start writing and submitting applications for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans.

What Steps Should You Be Taking?

There is a saying from Brian Tracy that goes something like this “You will never hit a target you can’t see!”

So how does this translate to the AEP? First, you need to make sure you have your goals set. Are your goals to write 100 new clients? Maybe you already have a large block of Medicare Advantage business and you want to focus on client retention. Have you established how you are going to engage with your existing clients to complete this?

Think of your goals as “the target” you are trying to hit!

Be Aware Of The Changes For This AEP

Educational Events

NEW: You may collect Business Reply Cards (BRC) or Permission To Contact (PTC) forms at the event, but you can no longer collect Scope of Appointment (SOA) forms.

NEW: You can no longer hold a marketing event in the same location (or nearby) immediately following the educational event. There must be at least a 12 hour window between the two events.

Marketing Updates

NEW: Mentioning benefits such as dental, vision, and hearing are now deemed to fall under the CMS Marketing Guidelines. Agents will no longer be able to discuss these benefits under the umbrella of being educational.

NEW: You are not allowed to include products, benefits, costs or premiums unless the Medicare Advantage carrier name is identified on the same material.

NEW: Using the word Medicare will now be under scrutiny. Things you should avoid:

Any piece of direct mail that the beneficiary could possibly confuse as being from CMS. Example: title being “Medicare Notice” or “Confidential Medicare Information Enclosed”
Marketing pieces that have an image of the red/white/blue Medicare card on it. This includes not only direct mail, but flyers or any other marketing pieces.
URLs that include the term Medicare in them. An example would be cmsmedicarebenefits.com or www.medicareenrollment.com
Having Medicare in the agency name such as Medicare Health Insurance Partners
Using Medicare in a title such as {title=Medicare Advisor}. This includes everything including on business cards, email signatures, or advertising materials.

NEW: Permission To Contact forms will expire after 12 months. The exact date of expiration will be 12 months from the date the PTC form was signed and dated.

NEW: Agents cannot use comparison information that shows how a Medicare Advantage plan would provide savings. An example of this would be a comparison of MA vs uninsured individual or MA vs Original Medicare only.

Scope Of Appointment

NEW: 48 hour rule returns. The scope must be obtained a minimum of 48 hours before the meeting with a Medicare beneficiary. This includes face-to-face meetings, video calls (such as Zoom), or tele-sales.

There are currently 3 exceptions to the 48 hour rule:

A Medicare beneficiary walks into your office without prior notice.
Valid enrollment period is within 4 days of ending.
Call-ins – while CMS has yet to include this in their regulations, most national insurance carriers have included this exception in their guidance.

Third Party Marketing Organizations (TPMOs) Disclaimer

As you are already aware, CMS includes agents as TPMOs. The former verbiage was “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or call 1-900-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.”

This must now be replaced with the following:

Agents that do not sell all carriers in a service area must use “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent organizations which offer {number} products in your area. Please contact gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.”
Agents that do sell all carriers in a service area must use “Currently we represent organizations which offer {number} products in your area. You can always contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) for help with plan choices.”

Final Thoughts

While some of these new regulations are going to majorly impact some agents and organizations, it should help level the playing field. For too long many of the call centers have taken the attitude of “lets say what we need to for a sale” rather than focusing on the true needs of the consumer and what will be the best option for their health insurance needs. While most agents know that the majority of complaints filed to CMS come from consumers enrolled into Medicare Advantage plans by call centers, it still does not change that these new regulations will apply to them as well. To read the ruling located on the Federal Register you can click here. Also, with all the new guidelines, don’t forget about the old ones….including recording your sales calls. Let’s make 2024 a great Annual Enrollment Period (AEP)!

July 17, 2023

WoodmenLife Medicare Supplements Now Available

WoodmenLife Medicare Supplement plans available include A, F, G, and High Deductible G. Provide your clients with a Medicare Supplement plan from WoodmenLife knowing they will get coverage through an A+ (Superior) rated carrier.

Financial Highlights

Rated A+ from A.M. Best for 47 consecutive years
$11.1 billion in total assets
Surplus ratio of 17.90% (extremely high)
Recognized on Forbes’ 2023 list of America’s Best Insurance Companies

Fraternal Member Benefits for Clients

Free, online legal templates to create wills, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives
Discounts at 30,000 retailers nationwide
Financial assistance following a qualifying natural disaster

GET CONTRACTED TODAY BY CALLING OUR MARKETING DEPARTMENT AT (800)924-4727

WoodmenLife State Availablity Chart — State Availability Chart As of 7/17/2023

July 17, 2023

What Makes A Great Dental Plan?

Some believe a great dental plan for seniors must include a large network of providers. Others believe that the dental plan should cover preventive and basic services with no waiting period. Then again, we hear many agents saying their clients wanting coverage for major services that would include implants.

Have Your Cake & Eat It Too!

What if we told you that such a plan has just been launched. This isn’t a April Fool’s Day joke, but 2 years of diligent work that put this plan together and had it become a reality. Seniors need a dental plan that is solid and provides benefits that they actually need. For agents, the plan offers so much that their clients are going to keep renewing it year after year.

Plan Benefits For The Client

Preventive Care (100% Coverage) – NO WAITING PERIOD

Routine Exam ( 1 in 6 months)
Cleaning (1 in 6 months)
Bitewing X-rays (1 in 6 months)

Basic Care (80% Coverage) – NO WAITING PERIOD

Full Mouth/Panoramic X-rays (1 in 3 years)
Simple restorative services (fillings)
Simple Extractions

Major Care (50% Coverage) – *12 MONTH WAITING PERIOD

Periodontics (surgical)
Major restorative services (crowns and inlays)
Replacement of prosthodontics, dentures, crowns and inlays Prosthetics (bridges, dentures)
Denture relines
Implants
Space Maintainers
General anesthesia (for services dentally necessary)
Endodontics/root canal therapy
Oral Surgery

Waiting period for Major Care may be waived with proof of prior coverage provided by the client within 30 days of effective date showing 12 months of continuous fully insured dental coverage with no lapses. If current dental coverage has been in effect for less than 12 months, then the waiting period will be modified. An example would be consumer has had current dental coverage in effect for only 8 months. They would receive credit for the 8 months and have a modified waiting period of only 4 months with this plan.

Annual Maximum Benefit Options

There are 3 annual maximums to choose from:

$1,500
$3,000
$5,000

Plans are available as single member, member + spouse, member + children, and family.

Other Benefits

The plan uses one of the largest networks in the country! In addition, the rates for each plan maximum is the same across the entire country (where approved) and does not change regardless of age, gender, or state. While the plan is a very solid dental plan, it does come with a built in hearing co-pay plan and you can even add an optional vision benefit.

For You The Agent!!

Unlike other dental plans where there is a heaped commission paid during the first year with a very low renewal for another 9 years or so, this plan provides a level commission for the life of the policy.

Lifetime level commissions — Earn lifetime level commissions on your dental plans!

To find out more and get contracted to sell what will become the best dental plan on the market, call our Marketing Department at (800)924-4727.

May 17, 2023

New CMS definition of marketing continues to grow.

First, let’s start off by saying we all know that the rise in complaints has come from mostly the massive call centers that are breaking the rules by using out of country telemarketers and using misleading television commercials. The problem is that instead of just going after the current violators, CMS has decided once again to lump the independent agent into this as well.

Get Ready To Make Some Changes If You Are Doing Any of These Things In Your Current Marketing

By examining complaints and reviews of documented sales calls, CMS has discovered that numerous beneficiaries express interest and enroll in Medicare plans after learning about the various benefits they offer. These benefits include, but are not limited to, dental, vision, hearing, premium reduction, and cost savings. In response, CMS has updated their definition of Medicare marketing to encompass “content that mentions any benefit covered by the plan and aims to attract the attention of beneficiaries to a specific plan or plans, influence their decision-making process when choosing a plan, or influence their decision to remain enrolled in a plan (referred to as retention-based marketing).”

If You Mention Benefits….Then You Are Marketing!

Previously, MA and Part D sponsors or TPMOs had the freedom to include references to commonly available benefits like dental, vision, and hearing in their advertisements without those ads being classified as marketing. However, starting from July 10, 2023, any promotional materials for MA, Part D, and Cost plans that mention any benefits will now be categorized as marketing. As a result, these materials will need to be submitted to CMS through HPMS for filing and review before they can be used.

What About Existing Clients?

When you are trying to basically assure your client they should stay in their existing Medicare Advantage or PDP plan, you are now Marketing according to CMS. CMS has made it clear that retention marketing is now included within the scope of marketing. In the 2024 Final Rule for MA and Part D, CMS has revised the call recording requirement to specifically cover sales, marketing, and enrollment calls, as opposed to the broader requirement in the previous year. As retention marketing is now recognized as a form of marketing, agents will be required to record phone or remote conversations with clients that have the potential to influence their decision to remain enrolled in their existing plan.

How Does CMS Determine The Marketing?

CMS takes into account both intent and content when determining if an advertisement falls under the category of marketing. The most recent updates to their definition of marketing primarily focus on the content aspect of the definition. This means that any material or activity includes or discusses plan benefits, benefits structure, premiums, cost sharing, criteria for measuring or ranking standards or even incentives and rewards will now be under scrutiny.

How Will All Of This Affect Me?

Starting from July 10, 2023, it will be no longer permissible to reference widely available benefits such as dental, vision, hearing, premium reduction, and cost savings in your marketing materials for MA, Part D, and Cost plans, unless those materials have been filed with and granted approval by CMS. Additionally, it will remain necessary to record phone or remote conversations with clients that have the potential to impact their decision to remain enrolled in their existing MA, Part D, or Cost plan.

Don’t Forget What We Already Know!

In addition, included in the CMS definition for marketing includes using Medicare items. For those agents using “Medicare” in their business name or thru their logo, you better be very careful since you will likely be one of the first groups to get singled out. In addition, if your URL (website domain) has the name ‘Medicare’ in it, then you will likely be in the very first group that CMS targets. The agency is very concerned that consumers are being misled into believing they are dealing with a representative of the federal government when they are actually dealing with a licensed agent. We are not saying that you need to immediately go and change everything, but if there is anything in your logo, URL, or company name that could be seen as misleading to a consumer, then we would advise you to start making changes now.

Don’t Forget About The New Disclaimer for 2024

You must remember to update your marketing materials once again to the revised disclaimer for 2024 enrollments as well. CMS has decided that simply stating that you do not represent all Medicare Advantage and PDP carriers is not enough. The revised disclaimer is now:

“We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent organizations which offer products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.”

Click here to review the final 2024 Medicare Advantage and Part D Final Rule (CMS-4201-F)

March 22, 2023

So, if the new compliance changes we all experienced last year weren’t enough, get ready for round 2 next year. In this article we are going to highlight just a few of the important proposed CMS rule changes for 2024. Proposed compliance changes by CMS include an even longer third party marketing organization (TPMO) disclaimer and bringing back the 48-hour scope of appointment (SOA) rule.

Keep in mind that these are proposed changes and are not yet final.

Proposed CMS Rule Changes for 2024 — New Disclaimer Would Require Agent To List All Carriers Appointed With For Medicare Advantage and Part D

New and Improved (longer) TPMO Disclaimer

In case you missed the sarcasm in the above title, this proposed rule puts an additional burden on the agent. Let’s first quickly review last year’s disclaimer:

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.

The proposed updated disclaimer would now require the agent to list out all the plans that he/she does offer.

We do not offer every plan in your area. Any information that we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in you are which are . Please contact Medicare.gov , 1-800-MEDICARE, or you local State Health Insurance Program to get information on all your options.

Here Comes The 48 Hour Rule Again

For those who have been in the Medicare Advantage and Part D market for some time will remember the original 48-hour rule where the Scope of Appointment form had to be completed at least 48 hours before the agent could meet with the consumer.

Medicare Advantage 48 hour rule — New Proposed Regulation Would Reinstate The 48 Hour Rule

We are not going to debate whether or not this was a good idea to begin with, but it sure did make things hard on the consumer and agent especially with such a small window of time existing during the Annual Enrollment Period.

Under the proposed rule, in 2024 the 48-hour rule would be reinstated. CMS would require the agent to obtain the signed SOA at least 48 hours before the appointment. This will eliminate the opportunity for the consumer to sign the SOA and then immediately find out about plan benefits. Last but not least, the SOA would only be valid for up to 6 months from the date the consumer signed it.

Are Educational Events Impacted?

You better believe it!! Many agents have previously held education events and then would conduct marketing or sales afterwards. This could include scheduling a future sales appointment with an attendee.

In the new proposed rule, this would now be prohibited from taking place. The agent would of course still be able to hold an educational event, but no sales marketing would be able to take place until at least 12 hours has passed since the end of the educational event. The exact wording is Marketing events would not be able to take place within 12 hours of an educational event at the same location.

Medicare Advantage Educational Events — Proposed Rule Would Restrict Agent From Marketing/Sales To Attendees For At Least 12 Hours

No, you will not be able to send them to the lobby of the building and talk to them there or even to an adjacent building not connected to the location of the educational event so don’t even try this tactic.

Is There Any Good News?

Maybe….

The call recording rules could relax a bit where you might not have to record appointment-setting calls or follow up calls to your newly insured client. While this part of the proposed rule would be a welcome addition, the trade off is that you still will not be able to classify video calls as face-to-face, so they will need to be recorded and stored for 10 years.